Drummers: the undeniable backbone behind all great rock bands, who (almost) never get the recognition they deserve, right? Well, until now: photographer Deirdre O’Callaghan is working on a book, The Drum Thing, a collection of brilliant images and interviews with a mightily impressive and wide-ranging list of drummers. Among those featured are Jim Sclavunos of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (pictured above), Dave Grohl, Jack White, Tony Allen, Fela Kuti’s former drummer and since a member of countless projects, Jaki Liebezeit, ?uestlove, Beastie Boys’ Mike D, Roy Haynes, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker’s drummer, Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders, Steve Drozd of The Flaming Lips, Josh Freese of Nine Inch Nails, The Police’s Stewart Copeland, Joey Waronker of Atoms For Peace… the list goes on (and on and on).
O’Callaghan, who has previously photographed extensively for a number of major and indie record labels, helped found Dazed & Confused, photographed New York’s Chelsea Hotel while it was still under original management and published an award-winning study of an Irish emigrant community in north London, Hide That Can, is in the final stages of completing the book. She’s set up a Kickstarter to secure the funding needed to photograph the final 20 drummers for the project, and we’d strongly urge you to help if you can. Among the incentives for people pledging are hardback copies of the book and invites to the launches in London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles, right up to a Remo snare head signed by The Wrecking Crew’s Hal Blaine, a Zildjian cymbal signed by Roy Haynes and a 16 x 20" print of a drummer of your choice. Head over to the Kickstarter page for full details, a sample of the completed book and a trailer video and scroll down to see a few of the finished photographs O’Callaghan’s kindly let us preview:
Jaki Liebezeit of Can
?uestlove of The Roots
John Stanier of Battles
Animal of The Muppets
Jon Theodore of Queens Of The Stone Age
Zach Hill of Death Grips
